Getting switched-on to a new network
Between now and 2011, BT, in consultation with the UK communications
industry, and with input from Ofcom, will be managing the upgrade of its phone,
broadband and ISDN lines to a next-generation network*.
Why are we being switched-on?
The telecoms products you use today - such as phones, broadband and ISDN -
are set to evolve rapidly in the near future, creating opportunities for
innovative new services. Many of them will rely on emerging internet-based
technologies, and will allow us to communicate and create as never before.
It’s work you won’t even notice
To build the BT network and minimise the disruption to your working day, most
of the work will be carried out overnight at telephone exchanges. Any breaks in
your service will be kept to the shortest possible duration.
What do I need to do?
We're working hard to keep the impact on your business to a minimum. You
don’t need to do anything to your phone, socket or line. There won’t be any
change to the cost of your phone calls, line rental or Internet access and we
won’t be visiting your premises.
We’re carrying-out a rigorous testing programme to assess the office
equipment and technology that’s typically linked to business phone lines. We
expect the vast majority of office equipment and systems will work with the new
network.
Check that your equipment will be compatible
Service interruptions
There will be some very short interruptions to your phone, broadband and ISDN
services at different times in the months and weeks leading up to the work and
on the night when your phone lines get switched-on. These short interruptions
allow us to carry out the work we need to do without damaging the network. It
will not be possible to make outgoing calls for up to 3 minutes or receive
incoming calls for up to 30 minutes when phone services are switched-on. On a
separate date, there will be an interruption of up to 10 minutes to broadband
We have carefully planned the upgrade work to mostly happen during the night,
so unless you run any form of overnight operation, you won’t be aware of any
breaks in service.
Check for an update on when you can expect disruption to services in your
Emergency services
Special arrangements apply to emergency calls. Any call to
the emergency services will not be cut off if it's already in progress when the
switched-on work begins. But if work is already underway down at your local
telephone exchange, you won’t be able to make any emergency calls until the work
is complete.
Mobile phones will not be directly affected, so make a note to have your
mobile phone charged. If it is on a pay-as-you-go service, make sure it has
credit on your switched-on dates, in case you need to make a call while we are
switching over your services.
* If you are connected to a cable service, are a customer of Kingston
Communications in East Yorkshire, or do not require a BT line for your phone,
broadband or ISDN services, you won't be affected by the rollout of BT’s new
telecommunications network. In these instances, your current telecommunications
arrangements will continue to apply. Mobile services will not be directly
affected.